Guyton’s three-point explosion leads Illinois past Wisconsin

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Aaliyah Guyton had it going from the start.

She knocked down two threes early in the first half and looked comfortable right away. By halftime, she was up to three triples and had already forced Wisconsin to respect her on the perimeter. The shot looked clean every time it left her hands.

She carried that confidence into the second half.

Early in the third quarter, Guyton stepped in and hit a midrange jumper after her strong first half, pushing Illinois’ lead to 18. A few possessions later, she buried her fourth three of the night to set a new Illinois career-high with 14 points. Her previous career-high was 15, which she scored last season at Iowa, and she was clearly hunting more.

Illinois (17-8, 7-7 Big Ten) caught fire as a team in the third, hitting 11 straight shots at one point and outscoring Wisconsin 26-18 in the quarter. With Guyton spacing the floor, driving lanes opened for Berry Wallace and Maddie Webber as the lead ballooned to 68-44 heading into the fourth.

Guyton clearly, still wasn’t done.

She opened the final quarter with her fifth three to break her overall career high, then later drilled her sixth without a miss. She finished a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the arc and 22 points overall, tying for the team lead and drawing a loud reaction from the State Farm Center crowd.

It was one of those nights where everything felt in rhythm. She didn’t force shots and let the offense come to her, but when the ball found her, she made Wisconsin pay.

By the time Illinois went up 40 and emptied the bench late, the story was already written. Guyton found her shot early and never cooled off, leading to Illinois’ seventh Big Ten win, as they push to clinch and get the best possible seeding in the Big Ten tournament.

Guyton had it going from the opening tip, knocking down one of many corner threes.

Similar to how the night started, Guyton drills another 3, this time in transition as Illinois ballons the lead.